


I'll be the One You Need

by kaijoskopycat



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Humor, slight angst with happy ending, v things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-22
Updated: 2014-06-22
Packaged: 2018-02-05 14:19:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1821547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaijoskopycat/pseuds/kaijoskopycat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kise meets an intriguing man at the front desk of a hotel who makes wonder if he's really willing to take the next step in his current relationship or if he wants to start anew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll be the One You Need

"Oh shit..." It _had_ to be just inside, right? If he pulled the plug out of the drain maybe he could–– _clink clink clink_. " _Oh shit_." 

Perhaps spinning the ring around the tip of his finger hadn't been the smartest move. Sure, he'd perfected it to make it look cool and to impress someone he already knew was more than impressed with him, but the more he thought about it, the stupider it sounded. And now the ring was lost. 

Kise collapsed on the floor of the bathroom, all heavy sighs and dramatic, head-hanging woe. "What am I supposed to do now?"

He had bought the ring impulsively. Most people don't say they bought an engagement ring on impulse. A purse, maybe, or an expensive cologne, but an engagement ring? He knew the idea was a bit farfetched, but he'd been with her for almost 3 years now. Two and a half if he decided to rule out the time her family was determined to live in the London and she had told him long-distance wasn't her thing. She wasn't going to trust him not to cheat on her during their time apart. It stung, but Kise let her go. 

Then she came back and he was once again roped into her calm demeanor and fastidious obsession with routine. It helped with his wild schedule, knowing he could come home at a certain time and she would have dinner set on the table, or packaged perfectly in the fridge. Their dates were infrequent, but simple. He'd take her out to the movies, or she'd suggest a place for dinner. Sometimes he'd request a walk in the park, or go so far as to suggest a trip to aquarium. She didn't have a flare for the extravagant as he did, but he had his fair share of extravagance with his job as a full-time model and the numerous places it allowed him to visit.

Despite their vast differences, he knew there were feelings enough to keep them together and his mother was always nagging him about marriage.  _Time to tie the knot, I guess._

If only he hadn't lost the ring. 

Then it hit him. 

"Do you guys have a plumber or someone on staff who can get into the drainpipes of the bathroom sinks?" He'd almost forgotten the front desk had the ability to call for maintenance. The deep voice on the other end sounded more than little bemused and he might have heard a faint chuckle after he explained why he needed help, but the man said he'd have someone up as soon as he could get ahold of them and that was good enough for Kise. 

~~~

Kise almost fell over the chair in his suite as he raced to the door.  _Since when had it been so close to bathroom door?_ The man standing just outside was the definition of tall, dark and handsome, and Kise lost his footing yet again in his amazement, recovering with a hand against the door frame and a dazzling smile as a greeting. This guy was only a few centimeters taller than Kise, at best, but his shoulders were significantly broader and his arms were impressive enough to make Kise's inner "gun show" fanatic beg to rear its head. He had eyes dark enough to rival the night sky and Kise swore he could see the flickering of stars in those intriguing hues. The man's lips twitched when he caught Kise staring, but he made no comment on the lingering gaze or the blond's graceless welcome. Dark eyes darted toward where he knew the bathroom door to be and Kise uttered a lame, "Oh!" and stepped aside to let him in. 

"You see," he chattered as he followed the man to the bathroom. "I was trying this thing... well... I guess I was just being stupid and the ring fell into the sink and the drain thing was up high enough for it to slip in. But then I pulled the thing out, 'cause I thought I could get the ring out, you know? And there was a lot of loud clinking and when I looked into the drain the ring was just gone."

The man glanced at him over his shoulder from where he was crouched in front of the sink. "You don't gotta explain shit to me. I'm not the plumber."

Kise blinked. "But then... who are you?"

"I work the front desk." 

 _Oh!_ It all made sense. Now that he thought about it, the voice sounded exactly like that deep drawl he'd heard over the phone. The man cracked open one of the cabinet doors below the sink and stuck his head inside. The motion was swiftly followed by a dull  _thud_ and a string of profanity. Kise had to press his hand tightly against his mouth to stop his laughter from being heard .

"Did you––uh... did you bump your head?" 

" _Dammit_." The man grumbled, voice muted by the surrounding cabinet. "That asshole Wakamatsu didn't show up today on purpose. Bet he knew some shit would happen." The voice grew louder until that dark hair made an appearance once again. "Oi, you..." he paused. "What's your name anyway?"

"Kise Ryouta."

The man's face pinched and Kise was almost certain he'd be recognized, but he only shrugged and said, "You can call me Aomine." He lifted a hand and pointed at a drawer in the cabinet opposite the sink. "Should be a small, emergency tool box in there. Grab it for me, will ya?"

In a matter of minutes, Aomine had loosened the pipes enough for the ring to pop out. He handed it back to Kise with a brow lifted high enough to fly off his forehead.

"What?"

"Big rock you got there."

Kise shrugged. "I thought it looked nice, I guess." It was so shiny and sparkly, probably more to his taste than hers. Looking at it now, he started to second guess his impulse. Or maybe it was the distraction. It was hard to think with those dark eyes roaming across his body like he wore a "look, don't touch" sign around his neck. 

"Lucky girl." Aomine commented. He pushed himself off the ground and returned the tool box to its rightful place. When he turned back to Kise the blond had to avert his eyes to avoid the color he knew would burn his cheeks. There was a silence between them and, though he knew next to nothing about this man, Kise was almost certain there would be a smirk on his face if he were to meet his eyes. Finally Aomine added, "If you need anything else, just call. Or come down and ask for it, or something. Alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll do that." Kise muttered, brushing a stray blond lock behind his ear as Aomine left the bathroom. He heard the door to the suite click shut and he took a hesitant step out into the living area. 

 _Coast is clear._ He sighed. There was something about that man that made his body tense, something about that gaze that made his skin tingle. Nothing unpleasant, but definitely confusing. It made Kise have to look a little harder at the ring held tight between his thumb and forefinger in order to see the shimmer that caught his eye just the night before.

~~~

" _Oh no!_ " It might have been cliché for him to run in circles while he panicked, but Kise was very nearly doing just that as he ran from one end of the bathroom to the other, then out into the living area and into the bedroom, only to return to the bathroom to glance into the toilet. His phone rested at the curve into the pipes, just below the trembling surface of the water. 

_Dammit... what the hell? First the ring, now my phone..._

He grimaced and took a deep breath like he was about to dunk his face into the toilet and not his hand. He had to look away, refusing to watch himself reach into a toilet bowl to retrieve his cell phone. It came out dripping wet, screen black and obviously dead, useless. He immediately washed his hands, towel-dried the phone and started pressing every button possible. It was a fruitless venture. No amount of button mashing was going to get his phone to come back to life. He was no Dr. Frankenstein, though all he wanted to do was to whisper, "It's Alive!" 

Defeated, he tossed his phone onto the bed and the screen lit up. "Eh?" Kise snagged his phone and watched as it went through the process of turning itself on. He still couldn't get a reaction when he pressed buttons, but perhaps he could still receive phone calls. He flung himself across the bed and grabbed the phone in his room, finger poised above the buttons when he was greeted with silence. He dropped the receiver and started searching for the cord, only to find that the thing was still plugged in. 

Kise let out a wordless groan in complaint and took his phone with him to the desk downstairs. Sitting behind the counter, looking bored out of his mind, was Aomine. His finger was clicking away at the mouse beneath his hand, but he didn't seem to be clicking on anything with purpose. Kise tentatively approached the desk and extended his phone. "Eh, Aomine-kun. Do you think you could use your phone to call mine?"

Aomine lifted his gaze from the computer screen, brow high on his forehead. "'The hell you need me to do that for?"

"I–uh... I might've accidentally dropped my phone in the toilet and–"

"That's nasty, man. Don't bring your shit-smelling phone around me."

Kise's cheeks flamed and he scrunched in face in obvious annoyance. "It doesn't smell like shit, baka! There was nothing in the toilet. I was just getting ready and I knocked it off the sink and then–"

"Why the hell'd you have it in the bathroom with you in the first place?"

"Because what if I got a call?"

"It can wait if you're in the goddamn bathroom."

Kise grumbled his frustrations, but decided it would be better not to explain how the entirety of his agency might try to get a hold of him at any second, not to mention his soon-to-be fiancée who liked to call at least once a day to check up on him. "You know what? It doesn't matter. Can you just please, pleeease call my phone? I wanna see if it works."

Aomine's lips twitched, but he swiped his thumb across his phone screen and waited for Kise to give him the number. Unfortunately for the blond, the phone didn't ring. Aomine said it went straight to voicemail and Kise hung his head in despair, earning him a chuckle from the man at the desk. 

"I got an old phone you can use until you can buy a new one." Aomine offered, turning to dig into the desk drawers behind him. "It's kind of a piece of shit, but better than nothing, right?"

Kise couldn't believe him. First he saves him from having to buy a new engagement ring (despite his endless bank account, that thing did knock quite a chunk of change out of his funds), and now he was offering him a free, temporary cell phone. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes. "That's.... so nice of you!"

Aomine took a step back. "Hey. Cut the waterworks. I'm just makin' sure you have a nice stay, I guess. It's my job, right?" He held the phone out toward Kise. "If it works, then just keep it. I'll never use it again anyway." 

True, the phone was a little banged up––okay, it was more than  _a little_ banged up. but the moment Kise slipped his SIM card into the slot it started up and showed him all the messages and phone calls he'd missed while his phone had been drowning in toilet water. He let out a sigh of relief as he sped through each message. Nothing urgent, thankfully. No one had called him leaving sobbing voicemails and no one left texts or emails screaming at him to respond. 

"This really helps. Thank you!" Kise glanced up and smiled. "Are you this nice to all your guests?" he teased, reaching forward to tap his fingers on the countertop. 

Aomine shrugged. "I guess I'm not  _this_ nice," he admitted, lips quirked into a faint smile. "But I've never had a guest like you before." Kise's cheeks flushed a faint pink before Aomine continued, "I mean, who the hell drops an engagement ring in the sink one day and then their phone in the toilet the next?" He snorted. "You've gotta be the most interesting person I've met in a long time." 

Kise's brows pinched together as he pouted. "Shut up! They were both  _accidents_. It's not like I was actively trying to lose the ring and the phone." 

"Whatever you say, Kise. Just don't go _'_ accidentally _'_ dropping your luggage in the pool or something." 

"I won't do that, baka!" he snapped, turning on his heel and stomping back to his room. Though it was unnerving to hear his name without the added honorific, he had to admit, he kind of liked the way it sounded. 

~~~

"Stop laughing!"

Aomine must have been some kind of fortune teller. While it wasn't an entire suitcase worth of stuff, he still _accidentally_ dropped his gym bag into the pool when he was checking it out after a quick run on the treadmill to get his blood pumping. And wasn't it a little too convenient for Aomine to be on pool cleaning duty that night?

"I knew it!" Aomine slapped his hand against his leg as he doubled over.

"Shut up!" Kise kicked off his shoes and started to tug the hem of his shirt over his head when he heard a loud splash. 

Aomine's shirt lay crumpled on the ground, his shoes resting right beside it. Kise directed his attention to the pool, where Aomine pulled his heavy bag through the water and straight toward him. He flung the soaking bag forward and it landed with a wet thump at Kise's feet. As he lifted himself out of the water, he grinned up at the blond. "If you wanted me to take my shirt off all you had to do was ask."

Kise scowled and palmed Aomine's face, pushing him back into the pool. "As if I'd want to see that, baka desk worker." 

~~~
    
    
     **Received from: ???**  
    
    [text]: guess whos got your number?

  


Kise stared at the message on his screen. He wasn't familiar with the number and anyone from work would have started the message with their name.
    
    
     **Sent to: ???**  
    
    [text]: santa claus?

  

    
    
    **Received from: ???**  
    
    [text]: your knight in shining armor.  
    
    [text]: or maybe im the knight to your gym bag

  


His cheeks flushed and he furiously typed out another response, adding the name to his contacts beforehand.
    
    
     **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: oh god. delete my number

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: hell no  
    
    [text]: this is gonna be fun

  


Kise sighed and tossed his phone to the side, but not before he sent another text saying:

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: you'll be lucky if I even answer anymore, baka desk worker

  


~~~

Kise woke early on his last day in Tokyo and begrudgingly packed his bags. He always loved having an excuse to come to this city, and while it was only an hour and half ride on the bullet train, or a tad longer on the locals, he still rarely got the chance to visit. After an  _eventful_ stay, he might consider requesting more jobs in this area. 

He dragged his suitcases to the front desk for check out and found Aomine once again lazing around, clicking away at the mouse. "You're gonna break that thing the more you play with it," Kise commented, eyes darting toward the unfortunate mouse in Aomine's grasp.

Aomine snorted. "If that were true, then every man would be a sexually frustrated asshole."

Kise's cheeks burned and his eyes widened. "I don't think you're supposed to talk about those things with your guests," he hissed, pulling out his phone as an excuse to keep his gaze averted. 

"You ain't a guest anymore." Aomine took the keys from the countertop where Kise had placed them. "Already checked you out." He paused to wink for emphasis. "So I can say whatever I want. Besides," Those dark eyes raked across his body and Kise had to the urge to throw the battered phone at that smug grin. "You're that famous model. Bet you get more tail than they do at a lobster shack."

"You're so crude!" Kise scowled and pocketed his phone. "See if I come back to this place." He tugged his wheeled suitcase along behind him, intent on leaving in a huff just for show.

"As if," Aomine called after him. "See you next time, Kise Ryouta."

~~~
    
    
     **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: still using the shitty ass phone i gave you

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: none of your business

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: ill take that as a yes ;P

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: im buying a new one tomorrow

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: have fun with that pretty boy  
    
    [text]: better save my phone  
    
    [text]: to remind you of me ;]

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: im gonna put it in the microwave and watch it explode ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: not cool  
    
    [text]: i was nice enough to give it to you and thats how you thank me  
    
    [text]: and whats with that face? hahaha

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: ill make sure to send you a picture from my new phone  
    
    [text]: (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: so you're actually an asshole and that sweet pretty boy shit is just an act  
    
    [text]: ain't gonna stop me  
    
    [text]: you just made this a hell of a lot more fun

  


~~~

Aomine maintained regular correspondence with Kise.

Though the blond had claimed he wouldn't respond, he always did. In fact, he found himself checking his phone for messages from the strange desk worker, hoping that any _ping_ he heard was Aomine instead of another message from work. 

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something about Aomine that was intriguing. Kise had been a slave to routine before––as close to routine as his job could allow. He would go to photo shoots, return home, eat dinner and then fall asleep. If Hanako was home, they'd share a quiet dinner, commenting on what had occurred in each other's day, before watching her favorite nighttime program and heading straight to bed. The only flaw in his routine came from the rare dates they went on and work obligations in the form of fundraisers, work related parties, interviews and traveling requirements for out-of-town photo shoots.

This man drove a wedge in his monotonous life and the more he spoke with Aomine, the wider the rift he'd created became.

~~~
    
    
     **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: saw your stupid face on an ad today

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: why were you looking?

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: cause it was huge  
    
    [text]: might wanna do something about that big head of yours  
    
    [text]: don't want it to pop

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: ( ꒪Д꒪)ノ  
    
    [text]: your head is bigger baka

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: depends on which head youre talkin about ;]

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: im done talking to you

  


~~~
    
    
     **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: so you proposed yet?

  


Kise glanced up from his phone to watch Hanako step through the doorway. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun (he thought it looked better down) and she smelled strongly of booze, meaning a wild drunk must have spilled one of his drinks on her again tonight. 

He sighed.

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: nah. not yet 

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: grow some balls pretty boy

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: easy for you to say  
    
    [text]: you arent the one proposing （；¬＿¬)

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: hell no  
    
    [text]: marriage is for boring shits like you

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: 凸(-0-メ)

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: ahahaha  
    
    [text]: that you flippin me off?  
    
    [text]: okay okay you arent TOO boring

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: 凸(｀⌒´メ)凸

  


~~~

"What in the world makes it okay to do that to your guests?" Kise's shrill voice echoed in the bathroom where he was hiding out. Lately he found it impossible to be on the phone when Hanako was around. She asked too many questions and refused to believe Kise had made a friend during the time he'd spent in Tokyo. She demanded he keep his phone in his pocket when they spent time together and he only half complied––he continued to text under the table or hid the phone at his side when they watched her dull shows. Now he'd taken to holing himself up in the bathroom whenever Aomine called.

"Ouch." Aomine's gruff response crackled through to Kise's end. "Dogs probably heard that shit. How about we keep that a few octaves lower? Maybe you could try playing your man card with your voice for once."

Kise scowled, "Listen, baka, don't start that shit with me. You know I–"

"So when are you coming back to Tokyo?" Aomine had the tendency to interrupt Kise when they spoke on the phone, especially if he thought the blond was rambling. He was more likely to do it when the conversation shifted to the topic of Kise's girlfriend. 

"Eh?" Heat rose to his cheeks and he was silently thankful for the fact that there were miles and miles between them to prevent Aomine from seeing it. "Not until I get another photo shoot out there."

"Tch." 

Lately their conversations had been steered in this direction, almost always the fault of Aomine. Kise couldn't quite fathom why, but the other man was insistent upon his return. Not that he could complain. It'd be hypocritical of him to do so when he was petitioning for more jobs in that area almost daily now. He told himself it was because the city was rich in culture and offered more than the current local jobs could. 

That all would have held up well, argument wise, if he wasn't constantly thinking about returning to a specific hotel with the hope of seeing a certain dark-skinned, blue-haired man; the same one he spoke to every single day. 

~~~

Aomine became Kise's morning and his night. He woke up to texts that read: 

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: get the fuck up  
    
    [text]: guys with faces like yours dont need beauty sleep when you've got the looks already

  


He'd smile the moment he saw that name on his screen and usually tell Aomine to "shut up." This, of course, would provoke yet another response and the remainder of his free time during the day was spent with his eyes focused on his cellphone screen.

At night he'd be the one to send the text that ended their conversation for the day.

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: you've killed the battery on my phone  
    
    [text]: thanks a lot, baka ヾ( ･`⌓´･)ﾉﾞ  
    
    [text]: better not do it tomorrow  
    
    [text]: night baka desk worker

  


And Aomine would almost always send the same thing back.

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: ill be sure to text you first thing in the morning ;P  
    
    [text]: night baka pretty boy

  


~~~

"Kise, don't start." Kise frowned as she hustled past him with an armful of thick blankets. "I told you my parents were staying with us this weekend and I asked if you could possibly get those days off. You probably forgot, didn't you?"

"No, I didn't." Kise pushed himself out of the seat at kitchen table and offered to help. Of course, she held up a hand and shook her head to decline his offer. "I had requested to avoid shoots on those days, but this one will be international. Your parents come here almost every other weekend, Hanako. They aren't going to miss me for those two days."

Hanako whirled around, a scowl curling at the corners of her lips. "Look, I understand. I support your modeling career, but I asked for two days."

"And I had asked for a single day numerous times and you didn't even ask for it off" 

" _Don't start with that._ "

He could hear the warning in her voice and sighed. "I'm sorry I can't be here to see your parents. I promise I'll be home the weekend after next to see them again." He knew she wouldn't like his tone, but lately she'd been snapping at him for the smallest things. Her job was stressful. He knew that. She worked most nights at the local bar, a hotspot for tourists, and sometimes she took a morning shift if a coworker asked and then she'd be exhausted for the next few days, but Kise's schedule was always unpredictable and he never came home irritable. Then again, she didn't have his enthusiasm or his stamina. "I've gotta go. I'll be back in a few days." He leaned over to kiss her, but she angled her face to the side so he only caught her cheek. 

~~~
    
    
     **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: coming back to tokyo tomorrow

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: about damn time

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: shut up  >.>  
    
    [text]: i hope that suite is still available  
    
    [text]: i really liked it :3

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: you sure you wanna stay there again?  
    
    [text]: your luck was pretty shitty there  
    
    [text]: you might knock yourself out with the shower head this time

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: you're an asshole (¬_¬)  
    
    [text]: i want the same suite

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: hahaha  
    
    [text]: fine. fine. I got it booked for ya  
    
    [text]: your model bank account can easily afford it when no one else can

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: useless desk worker

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aomine**  
    
    [text]: clumsy pretty boy

  


~~~

"You know I can afford my own taxi to the hotel, right?"

Aomine scoffed and typed Kise's information into the computer. "I was trying to be nice and this is the thanks I get?" He slid a familiar key across the countertop toward the blond and leaned back against his stool. "Next time I'll let your dumb ass walk."

Kise rolled his eyes. "As if you'd do that to me." He pocketed the room key and grasped the handle of his suitcase. "I'm putting my stuff in the room, but..." His gaze flickered to the side. How was he supposed to ask this without embarrassing himself? "I figured since I have the night free, I could come down here and we could... well, I don't know, talk or something like that." 

He finally glanced up and caught the barest hint of a smirk cross Aomine's lips before that bored expression returned. "Yeah. I guess it'll be nice to have some company," Aomine replied with a nonchalant shrug and Kise beamed, his smile just as dazzling as ever. "And try to make sure you keep the sparkling to a minimum. It'd look stupid for me to wear sunglasses inside just to talk to an idiot like you." 

The insult did nothing to dampen Kise's enthusiasm. He let it slide–by now he was used to that crass mouth–and winked before disappearing down the hall. 

~~~

He didn't bother to set anything up as he usually did when he first arrived at a hotel. He had a entire bag within his suitcase full of every product he used in the morning and at night. He probably carried around more cosmetics than most women. When in hotels, he liked the set up the bathroom the same way his bathroom at home was set up. It made things easier in the morning when he was groggy from lack of sleep. 

This time, he left everything in his suitcase. In fact, he completely forgot about his bag of goodies. The only thought that raced through his mind was about Aomine. He'd get to spend time with Aomine. He'd get to talk to Aomine. He'd get to be in Aomine's presence. There was something so _intoxicating_ about that man. 

He bounded down the stairs–the elevator took too long–and smoothed his hands over his shirt as he slowed his gait the closer he got to the front. As he passed a hall of windows, he stopped to glance at his reflection, immediately running his fingers through his hair to tuck away stray strands. He took a slow, deep breath to calm his racing heart. He attributed it to the way he rushed down the stairs, but even as he caught his breath, his heart still pounded and that reason became almost invalid. 

The fact that his heart skipped a beat the moment Aomine came into view said something else entirely.  _Calm down. **Calm down.** It's just like talking on the phone. _

"Aominecchi, do you have to stay behind that desk?"

"Aomi––what did you call me?"

 _Oh god. Did I say that out loud?_ For some time now, when Aomine moved from being some guy he met at a hotel to a friend, he started calling him by that nickname in his head. But he had yet to say it out loud until now. "Ehe..." He palmed his nape and smiled sheepishly, offering a slight shrug in response. 

"You added some weird shit to my name, baka pretty boy."

"It's not weird!" He pouted and trudged across the room to collapse on a couch in the lobby. "It means I like you, baka desk worker. Its a good thing. I only add that to the names of people I like." He tried for nonchalance, but he could feel the flush creeping across his cheeks and burning the tips of his ears.

He could hear Aomine moving toward him and he didn't want to turn around to find that smug grin plastered on the other's face. He  _knew_ it would be there. The footsteps stopped and Kise's jumped when he felt the warmth of Aomine's breath against his ear when he asked, "You like me?"

Kise threw himself to the other end of the couch, clutching the fabric over his heart. He swore if the beat got any louder Aomine would be able to hear it. "Don't do that!" he snapped, scowling at Aomine. "Gave me a heart attack..."

"You didn't answer my question." Aomine leapt over the back of the couch, landing gracefully on the other end. He trained his gaze on Kise, lips fighting a smirk. "You did say you liked me, didn't you?"

Kise crossed his arms over his chest. Why did Aomine have to be so smug about it? "Of course I like you," he grumbled, averting his eyes. That stupid smirk made his heartbeat even more erratic and he couldn't understand why. It bothered him. He thought he was so sure of himself and everything in his life. Aomine made him second guess so many things he couldn't keep up. "I wouldn't talk to you all the time if I didn't."

"Uh huh." Aomine nodded his head and rested an elbow on the armrest, drawing Kise's attention to the way he had the sleeve rolled up his taut forearm to expose the smooth, dark skin and subtle movement of muscle beneath. 

Kise cursed silently to himself. He had a girlfriend, pre-fiancée. He still had every intention of proposing. At least, he thought he did. He frowned at Aomine and silently begged him to stop the teasing. 

_It shouldn't even be teasing... what am I thinking?_

He saw those dark eyes follow his gaze and Kise immediately turned his eyes on the chandelier above. "You're pretty dead this weekend, aren't you?"

"Me? I've got enough energy for the both of us." Aomine winked and Kise shook his head. "But the hotel, yeah. Not a popular weekend for bookings." 

"Are you stuck at the desk all night?"

Aomine's eyebrow rose. "I'm supposed to be, but I can get someone to cover a few hours." He paused and Kise bit his lower lip. "Why?"

"Well, I was thinking..." he trailed off. He started to question whether this would be a good idea or not before he realized he didn't care. "Maybe we could go swimming later."

The full-fledged smirk finally appeared and Kise knew his face would resemble a tomato. "I won't say it," Aomine said, his smirk widening a fraction of an inch more.

"Good," Kise snapped in return, scowling. "Because it won't be true."

"Sure, sure." Aomine reached out and flicked Kise's knee. "I'll be there around ten."

Kise nodded and grinned. He couldn't mask his excitement now. Swimming for fun was something he hadn't done since he was in high school and the thought of swimming with Aomine made his heart forget how to beat again. 

  


~~~

They swam together and Kise swore he'd never seen someone so graceful in the water. Aomine dove in like a professional swimmer and moved through the water like he had a command of the element that Kise could never master.

He was impressed, transfixed. He followed behind Aomine and it was like a fish trying to keep up with a dolphin. There was no way he could compete. And that's exactly what they were doing; a silent agreement to start a race from one end of the pool to the other. They both had competitive personalities. Kise had learned this during one of their many phone conversations. 

He also learned that Aomine had a shameless love of gravure magazines, adored food other people made for him, and his favorite sport was basketball. He played whenever he got the chance and Kise was determined to play against him someday, having played on and off in high school. 

Kise returned to the shallow end of the pool, and leaned against the edge to catch his breath. "You're like a stupid shark or something, the way you swim," he groaned when Aomine swam up beside him. 

"And you're like a guppy." He grinned and came to a stop only a few inches in front of Kise. "Besides, I get the chance to swim here pretty often. Free, I might add." 

"Yeah, I can tell," He reached forward and absently ran his fingers across Aomine's stomach. "Sure shows." He paused, digits pressed against the muscled ridges. He felt Aomine pull in a sharp breath and he jerked his hand back. His face lit up like a beacon. "I mean, because you swim and everything..."  _Crap..._ "Swimming is supposed to be a good work out, or so I've heard and if you're swimming a lot then it's obviously why you look so good and–"  _Christ... how do I stop myself?_ "What I'm trying to say is–"

He didn't get the chance to explain what he was trying to say. Aomine's body erased those few inches between them. His body was warm, despite the cool temperature of the water. His lips were equally as warm, if not warmer. His tongue was like a hot poker in Kise's mouth and Kise didn't care how much it burned. He groaned and hooked a leg around Aomine's hip to pull him closer. Before he knew it, their hips were moving together and Aomine's mouth had moved from Kise's lips to his neck. 

"You proposed yet?" Aomine breathed against Kise's skin.

Kise shook his head. "Mm mmm... No..."

"You gonna?" His lips moved lower and Kise dipped his head back to offer more. 

"Don't know..."

"Mmm..." Aomine stopped questioning him and focused on his mouth and Kise was grateful for the stopper in that interrogation because it took his mind off how  _incredible_ that mouth felt and brought it back to the woman waiting at home for him. 

_Shit..._

Kise lowered his leg and pressed his hands against Aomine's chest. "Aominecchi... Aominecchi, stop," he gasped, moving to the side out of Aomine's reach. "I... We can't."

Aomine's chest rose and fell with each panting breath. He could see a faint flush on those dark cheeks and he was certain his appearance mirrored Aomine's. The other man only nodded. "Yeah... I guess not."

"I'm sorry..." Kise muttered. The apology sounded lame, even to him, because in reality he didn't want to apologize. He knew he wasn't sorry about what happened. He wasn't sorry when every second of those lips on his body felt more right than he's ever felt with Hanako. But he had obligations and he had a life back home with her, or what was left of it. He wasn't certain he wanted to salvage it yet and making out with Aomine wasn't making his decision any easier. "I just need to think... to think about things."

Aomine nodded again. Kise noted the neutral expression and frowned. He didn't want Aomine to close up on him like that. 

"It's not fair to you," he continued. "Or Hanako."

"Do you still love her?"

The question caught him off guard and he hesitated to answer. "I–"

"Do you truly still love her?" Aomine asked again. "Not just obligatory love because you've been with her so long."

Kise stared at him. "I still love..." He trailed off because he wasn't quite sure anymore. "I love the parts of her that I fell for, but..."

"Some of them aren't there anymore," Aomine finished for him.

"Yeah."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet." Kise turned around to pull himself out of the pool. "But I have to figure it out before anything else happens."

  


~~~

Kise focused on his shoots for the remainder of the stay. Aomine invited him to dinner and they went out as spoke as they usually did over the phone. Nothing had changed between them. Somehow Aomine understood and though it pained Kise to know that it must be killing him inside, he was grateful for Aomine's compliance in his request. 

However, this didn't stop him from thinking about those lips and they way it felt to have them on his own, on his neck, moving lower. He could still feel the friction that built between their hips and, he would never admit it to Aomine, he was utterly addicted to the way he smelled. 

He couldn't remember ever feeling so infatuated with Hanako. She had always just been a constant in his life and now he started to wonder if it was that consistency that made him believe he was in love or if the strong feelings he felt he had, strong enough to buy a ring and consider a proposal, were just a product of comfort and familiarity. In all actuality, they had nothing in common. He was too zealous, his appetite too voracious. She had always loved the simple things and thrived on a strict routine. He thought that brought him comfort, but lately it had been putting a strain on their relationship. He couldn't always adhere to her precise agenda and they often fought over this fact. It made Kise feel like all those promises, all the words of encouragement, every time she said she believed in him and supported his modeling career––it all felt like a lie.

He started spending less time at home. Work was a viable excuse. They had been scheduling more and more shoots, interviews, radio shows, even television appearances, and he had little time to spend with her as it was. He often found himself getting a hotel near the job he was working on and he'd call her to tell her he wouldn't be home and then they wouldn't talk for the remainder of his absence. She acted like nothing had changed when he returned home, but there was a tension that built between them whenever they were in the same room. She'd excuse herself to go to bed early and Kise would stay up late to talk to Aomine. 

Tokyo became a place he frequented, and not just because he had to work. He used his job as an excuse, lied to Hanako about the reason for leaving, and end up at Aomine's side. They played basketball and Aomine crushed him. He didn't stand a chance. They went to the movies, walked through the park. Aomine took him to dinner on more than one occasion and even spent the night in Kise's room on the nights he was free from desk duty. 

He spent more time with Aomine, hanging out with him, talking to him, thinking about him, than he did with Hanako now and he knew that meant one thing. 

_I can't give her that ring... I'm... not in love with her anymore._

  


~~~

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: send me another picture of that face, baka pretty boy

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: pretty sure I already sent enough (¬､¬)

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: i can never have enough pictures of that face

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: i dont want to give you anymore ammo  
    
    [text]: dont want you jacking off to them or something ;P

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: well shit  
    
    [text]: shoulda told me that sooner lol

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: ... what?  
    
    [text]: ヾ( ･`⌓´･)ﾉﾞ  
    
    [text]: peverted desk worker!

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: hey can you blame me?  
    
    [text]: got nothing better to do  
    
    [text]: otherwise I just sit here and think

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: about what?

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: you

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: aominecchi...

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: just the truth

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: i'll be coming back next weekend

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: already marked it on my calender

  


~~~

"You feel the need to tell me this  _now_? After three years, Kise?"

"Can you honestly look at me and say that things have been going smoothly lately?" Her face was red and he could see the welling of tears in her eyes. "When was the last time we went out together? We don't even sleep in the same bed, Hanako."

"That was all on you," she snapped. "You're the one who's never home."

"You choose to sleep on the couch when I am." 

"I  _fall asleep_ on the couch." She threw her hands up in the air, letting out a huff of exasperation. "I don't choose it. I'd sleep in bed with you if I wasn't so exhausted all the time. You don't even know what its like, do you?"

Kise's brow twitched and his fingers curled into the palm of his hand. "I know  _exactly_ what its like to be exhausted all the time." His rose his voice, despite his attempts to hold back. "I work non-stop, Hanako. I go from one photo shoot to another, to an interview, to another photo shoot. Then I come back here and I think I have a break, but I get a phone call telling me to dress in my finest because I have a fundraiser scheduled for that evening. I'm never home because I'm constantly working, making money so  _you_ can live a comfortable life."

"So this is all my fault then?" She stomped around the couch and shoved a small hand against Kise's shoulder.

Kise sighed and grabbed her wrist. "I wasn't blaming you for anything." He slowly released her hand and watched it fall back to her side. "I haven't been home.  You're right. We're both at fault because neither one of us has been trying," he said with a frown. "Do you even want to try anymore?"

Her face pinched, but she didn't answer, not right away. "Kise, I don't know what I want."

"And that's another thing." He made some vague hand gesture. "You've never called me by my first name. You do with all your friends, but never with me. Why?"

That question seemed to stump her. Her eyes darted every which way and Kise knew the answer almost before it fell from her lips. "I haven't felt comfortable enough to use your first name," she finally admitted softly.

Kise nodded and took a step away from her. "Then what are we doing, Hanako?"

She shook her head. "I really don't know."

He knew admitting this realization would be painful, but hearing those words come out of her mouth, knowing she never felt 100% with him, made his heart falter. He prided himself on his people skills, but all this time he never noticed the modicum of discomfort that prevented her from something that should have been easy from the first "I love you."

"I'm going to Tokyo for a few days," he told her. "I don't know what'll happen when I get back, but we can talk again when I do." He turned away and hesitated at the door. Casting a glance over his shoulder, he said, "Is that okay with you?"

Hanako stood there, head hung low, her brows pinched tightly together. Tears rolled slowly, silently down her cheeks and when she looked up he felt his chest tighten. She stared at him for a moment before finally nodding. "Yes, it's okay with me."

So he left.

  


~~~

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: have a bottle of the strongest alcohol ready when i get there

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: what?  
    
    [text]: you serious?

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: just put it on my tab

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: whatever you want pretty boy

  


~~~

Kise drank more than half the bottle of what Aomine claimed to be the strongest alcohol. He was naturally a lightweight, so even the weakest of alcohol made him drunk out of his mind. He could barely push himself out of the chair without stumbling to the floor.

Aomine had poured the remainder of the bottle into his own glass, much to Kise's dismay, and griped about how annoying it would be to have to carry the unsteady blond all the way up to his unnecessarily large room. Despite his complaints, he wrapped an arm around Kise's waist and whispered soothing, comforting words into the blond's ear. 

Kise cried, but not as much as Aomine expected him to. He whined about how terrible he felt, cried over the realization that she may have never loved him the way he loved her, and grumbled about all the reasons why he should end their relationship before they hurt each other anymore. Aomine told him to shut up and urged him into bed.

Kise's arms remained firmly locked around Aomine's neck and no amount of prying would break the hold. Defeated, Aomine collapsed beside Kise on the bed and groaned a complaint about how stupid Kise was when he was drunk. However, the rest of his complaint died when Kise's lips found his own and his body rolled atop Aomine's. 

Both of them knew, somewhere way in the back of their minds, that they were too intoxicated and that the decisions they made now, the things they did now could be regrets when they awoke, hungover and exhausted in the morning. But it was so far back that every other thought, every other desire swiftly dampened the warning and before they knew it, all clothes were strewn upon the floor and their hands roamed everywhere they could reach. 

He was almost certain that he now knew what it felt like to be on fire. Everywhere Aomine touched burned like there were flames licking at his body and not the warm, wet tongue of the man he'd fallen head over heels in love with. They had found a rhythm the moment they met and now they were putting it to good use. 

Aomine flipped their bodies and Kise arched into him until there was no space between them, no air to breathe expect that which they shared. Then Aomine broke a barrier and Kise screamed his name, his first name, and Aomine groaned "Ryouta" against his ear. There was nothing left to remember after he came undone. He was blinded by the intensity and swept up in everything that was Aomine. 

"Ah.... Daiki... Daiki, I love you."

"I love you, too, baka pretty boy."

Kise weakly slapped Aomine's arm as he slumped to the side. "Baka desk worker."

  


~~~

Kise panicked when he woke up and Aomine had to hold him, cradle his head against his chest and whisper to him that everything would be okay.

"But I haven't officially ended things and I don't know what's going to happen when I get back."

Aomine threaded his fingers through Kise's hair, chin pressed against the soft golden locks atop his head. "Are you thinking about staying with her?"

Kise hesitated. "No... I don't think I am. We established that there's nothing more between us, but I–"

Aomine pulled back and turned Kise to face him. "I'm not gonna stop you from doing whatever it is you're gonna do when you get back." Kise opened his mouth to respond, but Aomine silenced him with a shake of his head. "But I will tell you this. I know that you think she's someone you need in your life. But I'm someone you want." Kise's head gave the barest of nods. "I want to be both."

"Both?"

"I want to be––No, I  _will_ be someone you want and someone you need."

There was a fierce intensity in Aomine's eyes that made a shiver run down Kise's spine like the very first day they met, like the way his skin tingled in an almost unpleasant way. It wasn't an unwanted feeling. Aomine was right. Kise did want him and he needed to find a way to let Hanako go so Aomine could fill those positions. After all, the man was more than qualified for both.

  


~~~

"Kise?"

Kise had been standing just outside the doorway to their bedroom longer than he meant to. He'd waged wars in his head over what to say, how to say it, and whether or not it was the right thing to do. 

"Kise, you can come in. I know you're there."

He took a tentative step inside, pausing just a few feet from the bed. She patted the mattress beside her and he reluctantly found his way over. "Listen, Hanako, I wanted to–"

She pressed a finger against his lips and shook her head. "I want to talk." He frowned, but said nothing to stop her. "You looked so hurt when I told you I couldn't call you by your first name." He didn't deny it. "And I'm sorry. I'm sorry about a lot of things. I think I got comfortable with what we had and I stopped thinking of it as anything more than a natural part of my day. But this..." She gestured between the two of them. "This isn't a relationship. I don't make you happy. I can see that. You need someone who can keep up with you and that's not me. I need someone who's schedule is going to be as consistent as mine, who can deal with my obsessive compulsion to have a steady routine. We weren't meant for each other and I think we both realized that when I left the first time."

Kise nodded. "We probably should've left it at that," he added softly.

"We should have. I can't do this anymore now than you can."

"Hanako, I do love you, but... I don't think its strong enough for this to last."

"And I know you've fallen for your Tokyo friend, Kise."

Kise's eyes widened and he almost opened his mouth to deny it, but there was nothing to deny. He was in love with Aomine. He had lost his heart to that man long before he could admit it and he was content with never finding it again. 

"It's okay," she said, placing a hand against his forearm. "You've found someone who can keep you on your toes." She lightly bumped her shoulder against his with a faint, tearful smile. "It's what you need, Kise."

Kise let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. He didn't hesitate to reach over and wrap her in a tight hug. She returned the gesture, albeit much more gently than Kise.

"We'll figure everything else out later," she said, playfully pushing his arm. "Just go."

He smiled at her, a genuine, thousand-watt Kise Ryouta smile. She blinked rapidly before waving a goodbye. At the very least, he could dazzle her one last time.

~~~
    
    
     **Sent to: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: Aominecchi  
    
    [text]: have i told you lately how much I need you?

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: not recently

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: i want you  
    
    [text]: i need you  
    
    [text]: i love you  
    
    [text]: and everything in between

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: wow  
    
    [text]: what a fucking sap

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: i take it all back 눈_눈  
    
    [text]: and I'll return the Mai-chan magazine I bought you as a gift

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: oh shit  
    
    [text]: no  
    
    [text]: i want and need you too  
    
    [text]: i love you, baby

  


Kise's heart nearly stopped when he saw the pet name on his screen.

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: Daiki...  
    
    [text]: did you just... (｡・//ε//・｡)

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: come tell me this in person  
    
    [text]: i wanna watch your face turn red  
    
    [text]: i wanna hear your voice  
    
    [text]: and fuck I want you to kiss me like i'm your gd lifeline when you finish your confession pretty boy

  

    
    
    **Sent to: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: now whos the sap  
    
    [text]: i love you, baka desk worker ( ˘ ³˘)❤  
    
    [text]: i'll be there soon

  

    
    
    **Received from: Aominecchi**  
    
    [text]: already got the suite booked for you, baby


End file.
